Chandigarh, November 1: The Punjab government has set up an 11-member panel of senior IAS officers to draft a comprehensive report assessing flood-related damages across the state, officials said Friday. The panel’s findings will form the basis of the state’s final submission to the Centre for post-disaster compensation.
According to the government notification, Revenue Secretary Manvesh Singh Sidhu will lead the team and coordinate the preparation of the report, which is due to be submitted by November 3. The report will first be reviewed by a multi-sectoral committee headed by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha before being forwarded to the Union government.
The move follows the visit of a 14-member central team on October 27 that inspected flood-affected areas and held discussions with state officials on losses to crops, infrastructure, and livelihoods. The state government’s latest assessment will help determine sector-wise compensation amounts to be finalised by the Centre.
Officials said the panel members have been assigned to work closely with their Union counterparts handling key sectors, including irrigation, rural development, health, education, power, agriculture, and local government. “This is the final step before the Centre’s announcement of compensation,” a senior official from the revenue department noted.
Punjab had earlier sought ₹12,905 crore in aid from the Centre to cover flood-related losses. The floods, described as the worst in four decades, devastated large parts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur, where thousands of acres of standing paddy crop were submerged for weeks.
According to state data, over 2.97 lakh acres of farmland were damaged, and 30,000 houses were affected — including 9,000 completely destroyed. Of the total compensation sought, ₹2,781 crore has been earmarked for crop and land losses. The government has also demanded funds for desilting 85,000 acres of farmland still covered under thick silt.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, addressing the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on September 30, had promised that relief funds would reach affected farmers before Diwali. However, officials said only a small portion of the announced aid has been distributed so far. The state assembly also passed a resolution seeking a ₹20,000-crore special package from the Centre to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
